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Taylorville, Illinois
| footnotes = }} Taylorville is a city in and the county seat of Christian County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census, making it the county's largest city. Geography Taylorville is located at (39.540768, -89.288005). According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of , of which (or 83.77%) is land and (or 16.23%) is water. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 11,427 people, 4,856 households, and 3,039 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,416.6 people per square mile (546.7/km²). There were 5,208 housing units at an average density of 645.6 per square mile (249.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.67% White, 0.71% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population. There were 4,856 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,235, and the median income for a family was $43,223. Males had a median income of $35,655 versus $23,647 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,162. About 6.8% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.4% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over. Other Around 11:20AM on August 11, 2012 a twin engine airplane crashed into a residential area of Taylorville, killing the pilot but injuring none on the ground. Some outer homes and a business of Taylorville were damaged or destroyed by two EF2 tornadoes on April 2, 2006. The town newspaper is the Breeze-Courier, which is the only daily newspaper serving Christian County. Also, The State Journal-Register, published in Springfield, Illinois covers Taylorville and Christian County quite extensively. The Decatur, Illinois Herald & Review covers the area as well. Taylorville was known (in the early to mid-1990s) to have had a high rate of neuroblastoma, a cancer affecting the adrenal gland and striking children.http://www.clutterinvestigations.com/environmental_inv.html The local power company Central Illinois Public Service Company was sued and lost for contaminating the groundwater in 1994.The case files for the case against the power plant The IHSA single season boys' basketball record of 45–0 was set by Taylorville High School in 1944. Ron Bontemps and Johnny Orr were team members.Google Books -> Illinois: Legends of Illinois High School Basketball by Taylor Bell (Page 4) Taylorville is known as the "Christmas Capital of Illinois." Notable people * Ron Bontemps, Olympic gold medalist in basketball (1952) * Larry Bucshon, congressman from Indiana * David Carroll (1913-2008) born in Taylorville as Rodell Walter "Nook" Schreier. Was Music Director for the Smothers Brothers. * Jon Corzine, 54th governor of New Jersey * Yvonne Craig, ballet dancer and actress, known as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series Batman * Rodney L. Davis, Congressman 13th Illinois District * Randy Hopper, senator from Wisconsin * Brian James, assistant basketball coach for the Philadelphia 76ers; born in Taylorville * Jens Kujawa, exchange student from Germany who later played basketball for the University of Illinois and in the 1992 summer Olympics for the seventh-place German National Team * Don Murry, football player * Johnny Orr, champion men's basketball coach with most wins in the college's at Iowa State University and University of Michigan * Pat Perry, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals (1985–1987) * Edward Mills Purcell, discovered nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI); winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics (1952) References External links * Taylorville city website * Taylorville Schools * Lincoln Land Community College-Taylorville * Taylorville Park District * Taylorville Chamber of Commerce * Taylorville Main Street * Illinois: Legends of Illinois High School Basketball By Taylor Bell Category:Cities in Christian County, Illinois Category:Cities in Illinois Category:Micropolitan areas of Illinois Category:County seats in Illinois